Will of Fire
by Whispering Darkness
Summary: Kagome was a lot more used to adapting to strange, even frightening, situations than most people. And it seemed that she was stuck here, wherever here was, for now. There was nothing for it but to make the best of it. And really, these shinobi weren't that different from demon slayers, perverted monks or youkai. Series of connected one-shots and vignettes.
1. Will of Fire

**Will of Fire**

* * *

He had gotten used to the small, careful hands that cared for his injuries and helped him eat and drink. This was the worst case of chakra exhaustion he had ever experienced and he never remembered feeling this weak, this vulnerable. But whenever he tried to move, to get up and gather information about where he was, those gentle hands pushed him back down and a soft voice murmured tender admonishments and reassurances.

And then, again, he would give in - for once too weak and too tired to fight - and his world would remain this warm cocoon.

Slowly consciousness started to fight against sleep and he managed to catch a few glimpses of his caretaker; warm pools of a soft blue sea and long dark hair.

The world was still out of focus, but as light started to win from the sheltering darkness, he recognized that he was in a small windowless hut, he realised that the warm liquid she fed him was a light soup and that the words she spoke had a strange accent.

And, exhausted, he fell back into sleep.

* * *

"Kagome, Kagome!"

She smiled at the pair of excited children; "Good morning Aya, Yuki."

They giggled and took hold of her hands. "Look!" She allowed them to tug her to a tiny house, a dolls-house, made of twigs, dirt and leaves.

She listened attentively as they chattered about the little creatures that would live there and how they had made it all by themselves.

"Do you like it?" the eager smiles on both their faces were like small twin suns.

"It's wonderful." she told them, honestly.

After a while she reluctantly pulled herself away from the children, who had been the only people in this village who had welcomed her when she came her, lost and alone. She explained that she had to go and granted them one last soft smile before continuing on her way.

She had a little money, most of it gained from making herbal remedies (that worked quite well, thanks to Kaede's occasional lessons and her own experiences in the Feudal Era) and some of it she had earned with an odd job here and there.

She visited the few small shops this village had, careful not to spend her money on things she didn't really need. Rice, this season's vegetables, a small piece of meat. She could hear the locals talking about her, could feel their eyes on her as she walked past: some glanced at her with curiosity, but most of them muttered with disapproval. As a Miko who had travelled with youkai, she was used to this. She ignored them all.

When she got back to her little hut - built on the very outskirts of the village - she stood outside for a moment, taking a deep cleansing breath and gazing back at the village that had been her home for the last month or so.

And then she sees them; a group of villagers approaching her hut, and she recognizes the fear, covered by anger in their gazes. When it was just her, a strange, but harmless outsider their faces had held but a slight dislike, a hint of caution. But now, with that odd man in her care… she had seen this storm brewing and knew that it was about to break.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she fought to urge to pretend this wasn't happening and retreat back into her hut. For all her involvement in fights alongside Inuyasha and her other friends in the Feudal era, she had never been one to seek out confrontations. She didn't like fights or arguments. She didn't like to see people, or even youkai, hurting each other.

But she also wasn't the type of person who let others push her too far, as Inuyasha and that bead around his neck could confirm. So she put down her groceries, straightened her back and waited.

* * *

The sound of raised voices woke him immediately. He could hear the anger in them, mixed with fear and what _could_ be hate and his body tensed as he readied himself for possible danger.

He took quick stock of his body; his wounds were healed, but his chakra was practically non-existent and his body paid the price for that as well. Physically, he knew that right now he was even weaker than most civilians. But he had his own advantages. Even weaker than them, he could, would still win if it came to a fight: it didn't take much strength to throw a kunai, just skill and focus. And when it came down to it, he had both, no matter what state he was in.

Now if only his kunai weren't missing.

Quickly, he scanned the small hut, searching for a weapon. They landed on a pouch, half hidden under an orange blanket, in the opposite corner of the room.

It was familiar. It was his.

Every step that he took seemed to drain him completely, but he kept moving, ignoring the tiredness and pain flooding his body. Carefully he bent down and grasped his kunai pouch.

A burst of gratitude filled him when he realised that it was filled. He took one of them out and despite his utter weakness, the familiar cold steal of his own weapon strenghtened his confidence. He was a shinobi. He didn't need chakra, jutsu, or even physical strength to fight.

Not when he had his own kunai in his hands.

Now, less worried about possible enemies, he tried to assess the situation. He focussed on the voices outside. They were civilians, he realised immediately as some of the words filtered through to his mind. And they weren't pleased with the presence of a shinobi in their village.

He relaxed his grip on the kunai slightly. It was obvious that these people feared him and shinobi like him. That meant that despite their desire to be rid of him, they probably wouldn't actually dare to try and harm him. Leave him to his fate, perhaps, but no more than that.

He sat back down on the improvised futon he had slept on, tired by the exertion. But, though he allowed his body to slump, the kunai remained in his hand. Vulnerable as he was, he couldn't afford to trust in just the villagers' fear of retribution to keep him safe.

And then he heard it: a familiar female voice that calmly answered the cascade of angry ones. He remembered that voice, had heard it often over the last days, weeks, however long it had been… that soft voice, along with a pair of gentle hands, had been his only companions.

As the villager's accusations and threats grew harsher, her gentle warmth and soft assurances of safety retreated bit by bit until he expected them too be stamped out completely into silence.

Instead, that soft warmth burst into flame.

He had believed her a sweet-tempered, soft-hearted soul who had taken pity on him. He had been wrong.

Because the woman who spoke now was neither soft nor sweet. Her temper flared brightly and as the villagers demanded he was cast out from their village - it caught fire.

It was odd, to hear a stranger speak up in his defence. It was, perhaps even stranger, to hear a young woman, a _civilian_ speak so passionately about their duty to one another, about caring for their own, whether they are shinobi or not.

It was astounding that, so far from Konoha, on the very border of Fire country, he would meet someone whose very soul embodied their Will of Fire.

* * *

**A.N.** My first attempt at writing in either Anime fandom… :) I'm hoping this will get my writing going again.

I didn't name the shinobi here because it really could have been a number of people. Naruto has such an interestingly large cast of characters! For now I like that this chapter has the potential for many different continuations.


	2. Alone

**Alone**

* * *

Kakashi had been a shinobi from a very young age. He had been a weapon for his village, had learned what it meant to be a part of a team, had lost people dear to him to people like him.

And he had perfected his mask. Not the one that he wore to hide his face, but the other mask; a careful nonchalance, an unflappable, oblivious attitude.

Most of his emotions stayed behind that mask, not amusement or mocking, no, but emotions that could leave you vulnerable, that given time could break even the strongest of man: fear, pain, grief and just how deeply he _cared_.

And, maybe that had been a large part of his mistake.

Perhaps, if he had shown his students more of himself - had given them more of himself - their little team would have been stronger for it and he would not have been left alone while all three of his students became students to the Sannin instead. Perhaps he wouldn't have lost Sasuke to his thirst for revenge, perhaps he would have been able to guide Naruto on the path of becoming a better ninja, perhaps Sakura could have flourished under _his_ teachings as well.

But that chance was lost. Naruto had left with Jiraiya, Sakura was learning to become a medic-nin and Sasuke… Sasuke…

And he was alone.

No longer fulfilling his role as a jounin-sensei, he was back to taking A or S ranked missions. Some of them with a team or partner, some of them alone. This was just another solo-mission, but on his way back…

Kakashi knew better than believing in the illusion of safety that the crossing of the borders might have signified to a greener shinobi. He had learned to expect the unexpected, so he hadn't been caught off guard. But it was galling, to pull of a dangerous mission successfully only to be attacked by a different group of foreign shinobi _in his own country_.

And he stood, alone, against three foreigners, who had dared cross the borders into Fire Country and attack a Konoha shinobi.

This wouldn't normally be a problem, but his mission had taken its toll on him so he hadn't been at full strength even at the start, and they were decent fighters, not quite up to his level, but good.

Alone against three jounin, who were no where near as tired as he had been.

Alone, but he had won.

Barely.

Afterwards, he had tried to make his way to where he remembered a village was supposed to be, but his vision had started swimming and eventually his legs couldn't seem to hold up any longer and he had finally collapsed.

Now he was once again fighting to stay on his feet, to take just one more step, and then one more… keep going…

"Ano, Kakashi-san?"

Too tired to reply or to turn and face her he just staggered on. Until he walked into an obstacle.

Automatically he stopped, and it took only a moment for him to identify what was holding him back: a small, sure hand.

"Hmm… I think we should take a little rest."

He blinked, surprised. And not _just_ because she was bold enough not to make that sound like a question, but an order. No, he was surprised that she had so casually dared to lay a hand on his chest. He was still a shinobi.

But he was in no state to protest. So he half-lay, half-sat against a tree, allowing his body the rest it craved while he saw and heard her gather twigs around him. She easily managed a small fire, which she used to prepare an herbal tea he had become familiar with during the short time he had consciously spent in her presence.

She was a strange person, this Kagome. A contradiction of soft and fierce that seemed as odd for a civilian as it would have been for a shinobi. Most civilians weren't this open, this… _casual_ around shinobi. Even the villagers of Konoha, who were used to their presence, still retained a hint of cautiousness around them.

The people of her own village weren't used to ninja. The only times such an out of place village, on the edge of Fire Country, would have been frequented by shinobi was during times or preparations of war.

And war was never kind or pretty. It always left death, blood, pain and emptiness in its wake.

To the people of her village shinobi meant danger and violence and they had wanted nothing to do with any of that. And because they had never had much contact with Konoha, they didn't see how the fact that they were still officially a part of Fire Country meant that they owed him – as one of Konoha's shinobi – their aid. It wasn't uncommon for civilians to be ungrateful for the sacrifice their country's shinobi make for them. They wanted their protection without having anything to do with them. To be honest, by now, he was cynical enough that it barely made him blink.

He had been told to leave and hadn't fought them on it. It wasn't worth getting into a physical fight over, not while they were still Fire Country civilians and he a loyal Konoha shinobi. And if they truly wanted him gone, he couldn't afford to stay. Not in a village that might wish him harm if he refused to leave. Not while he was vulnerable and alone.

Then she had quietly informed him she would come with him. And Kakashi had protested, unwilling to admit that he needed the help. Besides, even after days spent vulnerable, barely conscious in her care, he couldn't help but remain cautious. But she had insisted that since _her_ village had turned him away in such a weakened state and because he had been in _her_ care ever since she found him, she would take responsibility and help him get home.

"Here." A warm brew was gently pressed against his hand.

A small nod was all he gave her in return when he accepted the tea. He had barely spoken to her, especially about himself. She knew only his name and that he was a shinobi from Konoha.

He was a stranger to her.

He guarded himself closely, his weakened state making him reluctant to talk, afraid to give something away and leave him even more vulnerable to her. Thankfully, she allowed him his silence, and asked him only about directions or his opinion on where to make camp.

In the evening, over a scarce but warm meal, she would tell him with her soft, gentle voice about how Yuki had taken a frog home one day and how the boy's parents hadn't realised it until the following day, when the animal had wandered off from Yuki's improvised little frog-bed and ended up in his parent's bedroom. Or she would speak of a friend called Sango, who had tried to teach her how to defend herself and how their first lesson ended with both of them falling into a nearby creek due to her clumsiness.

The stories she told him were always light-hearted. Little anecdotes she told with fondness and a slight longing, but they never touched on anything serious.

She was still a stranger to him as well.

With a sigh he got to his feet again. At this pace his return journey would be a long one. It would be a while before he saw those welcoming gates of Konoha again.

But, strangers or not, for now he was just grateful that he was not making that journey alone.

* * *

**A.N.** So, this story will be more like a collection of little 'glimpses' - one-shots or vignettes - than a fully-fledged chaptered story… I'm pretty bad at those and don't want this to become a chore. For me, this is a story I can work on when I just want to be writing anything.


	3. Imperfect

**Imperfect**

* * *

He was rather… _odd_.

Obviously, Kagome had never met a shinobi before him. She had only been in this world for a few months and had stayed in the first village she had come across. It was a small, out of the way village, so she hadn't actually had much of a chance to meet a ninja. But she had heard about them. The villagers spoke about them as the people in the Feudal age spoke about youkai: with prejudice, a fair bit of superstition and most of all fear. As far as she could tell, they were the fighting forces of their country, with special skills. The closest she could compare them to where demon hunters like Sango.

She had been out gathering herbs when she had found the silver-haired man bleeding and unconscious not too far from the village. At first, it hadn't really occurred to her that he was one of the shinobi the people in her village whispered about. He _had_ looked like a fighter, that much had been obvious, from his clothing, his wounds and his hidden weapons. But all that she had really paid attention to was the fact that he was hurt and that he needed help.

When the villagers had learned about his presence in her little hut, she in turn, had learned more about shinobi. They had vehemently warned her about how dangerous they were and about their unnatural skills.

Instead of this talk making her fear him, it only made him seem more familiar to her; she had met many dangerous youkai and had only feared the ones that were out to hurt her and her friends. And this man hadn't yet given her a reason to be afraid. After all, she had also learned that these shinobi were loyal to their village and country. And the symbol on his headband showed that he was a ninja of the country she was currently in.

In a sense he was a soldier who was supposed to protect, not harm, the people of her village. Of course, Kagome knew that reality could fall far from what someone was _supposed_ to be. But it was still a rather comforting thought.

The villagers didn't fear him because he was an enemy, but because he was different, and therefore, in their eyes dangerous. But the idea of what these shinobi could do wasn't that strange to _her_. That they could use chakra to enhance their body and do 'jutsu' – something that the villagers had likened to dangerous magic – wasn't out of the realm of what she considered possible. After all, as a miko, she used her spirit energy as well. From what she could tell their chakra was a bit different; a mixture of spiritual energy and physical strength.

Different, but not _unnatural_. Youkai could use youki, miko could use spirit energy, shinobi could use chakra. It seemed simple and natural enough to her.

Then again, perhaps Kagome was a bit more accepting of these things than most people, especially those from her own time. She had long since set aside such silly thoughts as 'but that's just not-possible' or 'there is no scientific way to explain this' and learned to just go with it.

A time-travelling well in her back yard... _Well, that's just how it is, isn't it?_

The existence of youkai. _Couldn't argue with that while they were trying to kill her, now could she?_

A powerful jewel that had been inside her body and had shattered. _Yes, that was a problem, but it had obviously happened, so why deny the truth?_

She hadn't been able to afford taking the time to be amazed, confused or even afraid. Instead she had needed to step up, own up to her mistakes and take responsibility. The Shikon no Tama had been inside _her_ body and it had been, mostly, _her_ fault that it had been shattered. So it had become her duty to gather the shards before they could do further harm.

And she had met some strange individuals along the way. Inuyasha was a hanyou, Shippou her sweet little mischievous fox-kit, Sango a demon slayer who had teamed up with a Neko Youkai and Miroku a perverted monk.

Each and everyone of them completely unique and some of them a walking contradiction.

After all that, it took a lot to surprise her. Like when Shesshoumarou had adopted a human girl. But even surprises like those didn't faze her for long. After the shock wore off, she quickly accepted the facts, the change in a situation, and just… went with it.

And yet, despite all of her experiences with strange people and strange situations, Kakashi-san was still rather… _odd_.

For some reason, Kagome just couldn't quite get a grasp on him.

He was slippery, like water flowing through her hands. With far more going on underneath the surface than she could see.

The silent figure that had been both vulnerable and fierce as he fought to keep walking had retreated as his strength returned, leaving behind a person that was easygoing, infuriatingly vague and deliberately casual.

Yes, he was a rather strange person, this Kakashi. She had seen glimpses of the shinobi in him. After the utter exhaustion had left his posture, he had helped catching fish or game for their dinner. A flick of his wrist and one of those kunai would bring down an animal she had not even known was there. And although he slumped and walked with exaggerated casualness, there was a predatorily grace to his movements that betrayed a hidden strength and an awareness of his surroundings.

As they continued on, he reminded her more and more of a taiyoukai in their humanoid form: someone who was not even fully sure _himself_ how much of the appearances were a mask and how much was meant to cover something deeper.

No, she couldn't completely figure him out, but that didn't matter. When she didn't know or understand just what it was that was lurking behind his one-eyed smile she just shrugged and took him at face-value.

And at face value he turned out to be a rather pleasant travelling companion.

He had taken charge of their little group of two once he was able to muster up the strength for more than just walking. But he wasn't as insistent or overbearing as Inuyasha generally was. Still, the miko was sure that he wasn't nearly as laid back and relaxed as he pretended to be. And truthfully, Kagome rather appreciated the thought that he was on guard for any attack.

Even if that meant that he might also secretly be guarding himself from her.

By now, Kagome was too practical to let something like that bother her. Yes, the man was probably a little paranoid. And maybe he had his reasons to be. But she didn't mean him harm, and he hadn't hurt her, and his paranoia could only prove to be a good thing if someone _did_ try to attack them. No harm, no foul.

And thankfully, they no longer travelled in near silence. Their conversations were mostly casual, but enough to keep their travels from being boring. Sometimes, Kakashi-san reciprocated her little evening-stories with vague anecdotes of his own. Most of them were amusing, some were merely strange and others, she suspected, were meant to either shock her or leave her wondering.

She had seen and heard too much to be shocked easily by any of his stories.

He had told her nothing of the mission that brought him so far from his village, besides the fact that his book had been utterly destroyed in some sort of fight. Vague as he was about the fights, his enemies and what he was doing wherever it was in the first place, he waxed lyrically about the book. Apparently he loved it so much that he had several copies, but he still spoke of what a dramatic loss this was to him. Finally he concluded his story with a vivid description of its contents that was surely meant to embarrass her. Instead, it made her giggle when she thought of how he might get a long with Miroku. He tried to frighten her with some of his stories too; matter-of-fact recollections of death and destruction and blood spilled by his hand. And although these stories removed the smile from her face they left behind not fear of him, but sympathy - as she started to understand what a shinobi truly sacrificed for his country.

And mile by mile she collected more and more pieces of the puzzle that was Kakashi, never quite getting the whole picture as some of the pieces were broken or seemed to belong to a different puzzle all together.

But Kagome didn't really care that the pieces didn't fit.

Nothing was ever perfect anyway.

* * *

**A.N.** Hmm… I'm not too sure about my version of Kagome. Does she sound… off to you? I haven't watched Inuyasha in ages, and never did get all the way to the end…

Also, I want to make on thing clear: I haven't decided on a pairing for this story, or if it will remain general instead. Basically I'm just writing and I'll see where it goes...

If anyone has any nice ideas for a situation or an interesting meeting between Kagome and someone else, let me know. If it tickles my fancy, I may write it.


	4. Konoha

**Konoha**

* * *

Kagome had only been in Konoha for two days, but she already liked the village. It was warm and welcoming and yet also cautious. The children and the owners of shops and restaurants were very friendly, but the shinobi were like slight shadows: they seemed to be constantly observing people from a distance – even if they were right beside them. At least, that was the feeling Kagome got from them… In a way, they were as wary of outsiders as the village she had just come from.

She could recognize the ease with which these shinobi interacted with each other. There was no hesitation there, in letting one of their comrades at their back. But towards her, as an unknown - even though she was just a civilian - there was a hint of coldness, of distance and distrust.

The civilians were an odd contrast to that. Everyone she had met had been happy to greet her and had been open in their manner. They seemed to be more wary of their own protectors than of her.

It was a strange balance, and at times it seemed that the civilian population and the ninja co-existed more than they co-operated. But somehow, Kagome had the feeling that in times of danger, where normally the tensions already existing between people had a tendency of erupting, in Konoha they would be laid aside. She could almost sense that undercurrent of _togetherness_ that was there despite any misgivings on the surface. No, this village would not break apart easily – when it came down to it, it would draw together as one.

Or maybe that was just her own positive thinking?

Still, she was sure that there must be something holding this village together as one, because both the civilians and shinobi called it home and lived here together. They were different in many ways and yet, _somehow_ it worked.

Despite the friendliness of most of the villagers Kagome hadn't really found a place for herself yet. The village in which she had lived when she had found Kakashi-san was less friendly than this one, but she had been able to be herself there, to be a Miko and help the villagers with her skills with herbs in healing. Konoha had a hospital, so there was probably no need for a never officially trained healer. So instead of going there, she had been walking around the large village, just getting a _feel_ for it.

And it felt warm, firm, interesting and most of all, brave.

It felt like a good village to live in.

But Kagome wasn't just a normal civilian. She wasn't looking for a nice house or a good job. She was a girl from a different time and space.

Most of all, she was a Miko. And even if there were no youkai here, in this world - she was still supposed to help, heal and protect humanity. It was, by now, a part of who she was and not something she could stop doing. Even when she had just ended up here and realised just how far from either of her homes she really was, Kagome had still looked out for the people she met and done what she could.

Even as lost as she was, when Kagome had come to the small, border-town village she had felt it was her responsibility to help the people there as much as she could. Until a different responsibility was laid out at her feet.

Or; was crumpled in a bloody mess on the forest floor where she gathered herbs - if you want to be technical about it.

Either way, she couldn't just let Kakashi-san travel on his own in the state he was in, shinobi or not. So she had come with him, had seen her new, self-assigned responsibility through to the end – to the large, impressive gates of this proud village.

A village with open doors, warm smiles, assesing eyes and shadowed corners.

Slowly, as she was walking around, Kagome got to know that village. She was watching it, learning it. House by house, person by person, street by street, she was getting to know Konoha.

Because this village already had healers, helpers and protecors and she needed to know...

...if there was also a place for her here.


	5. Watching

**Watching**

* * *

Kakashi would never admit it, but he wasn't sure if he had been disappointed or relieved when they finally reached Konoha. He had half-heartedly introduced Kagome to the chuunin guards at the gate and left her there without another word. Not because he was in any real rush to give the Hokage his mission report but mostly because he wanted to see what she would do. Most people would have been angry, would have viewed his sudden disappearance as ungrateful, rude and perhaps even cruel. But he had long since learned that Kagome was anything but the usual civilian.

So he wasn't surprised when he had watched – hidden, with what little chakra he had suppressed - as she shook her head with a strange fondness and not a single trace of annoyance, and introduced herself more politely to the two men at the gate. They waved her through easily enough – not that he had expected them to give her any trouble, she was a civilian and he had more or less vouched for her, just by coming here with her – and he had stuck around to see her get her first real glimpse of Konoha.

Her blue eyes roved over the people and buildings, softly touching on the more damaged parts, shining warmly upon the sight of children playing ninja and tracing even the most shadowy corners. She took in all of his village - every single part good or ill - and for a moment he wondered just what exactly she saw.

But he was not the type of person who would ask.

So instead he left to make his mission report to the Hokage – where he did his best to downplay his chakra exhaustion and write his late arrival off as laziness and perverted indulgement instead. 'Maa, if the hospital had such cute, gentle nurses here I wouldn't be so eager to leave.'

He was pretty sure she didn't buy any of it, but he hadn't been called on it so he considered it a win none-the-less.

Even though Kagome had helped him heal, and had helped him here, he didn't return to her after his visit to the Hokage Tower. Instead he left her to her own devices – to find her own way in Konoha and her own place to sleep – because Kakashi wasn't good at holding anyone's hand, not even his (former) students and for all that he had gotten, if not fond of, then at least used to her presence, he wouldn't want her invading his own private space.

Leaving a civilian from such an out of the way village to her own fate in a shinobi village might seem like a cruel thing to do, but he was sure that she was smart enough not to do anything suicidal, like get in a fight with a shinobi or wander onto a training field. No, if the journey here had taught him anything about her it was that she wasn't easily offended and that she could take care of herself.

So he went home without a care.

He was actually rather grateful that Tsunade had seen through his act enough to insist on giving him two weeks of. Actually, he rather suspected she had cheated and used a medical jutsu to examine him…

With practice he managed to ignore the implied insult to his ego that if he was weak enough that he hadn't even sensed that, than he actually _needed_ those two weeks to recover fully.

Instead he merely appreciated the thought of a little vacation time.

* * *

He hadn't exactly planned on spending that vacation time following his new acquaintance (he wasn't sure just _what_ she was to him but that wasn't really relevant anyway) around, but somehow checking up on her the next morning (well, early afternoon) had turned into stalking her for most of the day. And the day after that. And so on.

Kakashi just wasn't sure what to think of her, that strange civilian with a will of fire who had supposedly accompanied him here for _his_ sake. To help _him_, a complete stranger and a shinobi at that. She had taken care of him, healed him to the best of her ability and defended him against the others in her village. And when they wanted to sent him on his way she insisted in no uncertain terms that she would come with him and she did, without even looking back.

He supposed it wasn't that strange. There _were_ selfless people in this world, those who helped strangers not out of duty or self-interest but simply because they could. But Kakashi had been a shinobi since he was five years old and was a lot better acquainted with the darker sides of people. Even inside these village walls and even amongst comrades, genuine, selfless kindness wasn't much seen out in the open. It was kept hidden, like any other vulnerability, and was seen only in a harsher form of concern shown in an exchange of nods or in-between the lines of friendly bantering.

He would never expect kindness from a stranger – the life of a shinobi was too harsh to expect anything to come for free. And yet, she was strange and genuine enough that all of it _felt_ true. Nothing he saw suggested otherwise, but Kakashi had always been a paranoid bastard and people had a habit of letting him down.

Or perhaps it was him who had a habit of letting them down.

Either way, those who came close to him always, _always_ fell away from him in the end.

So he kept his distance. He trailed her, keeping an eye on the young woman who had left everything behind just to ensure his well-being and waited, for what he wasn't sure.

While she wandered the village, he followed her on the rooftops, a new copy of Icha-Icha Paradise in his hand (he had truly missed his book - though he had made sure that the ninja who had destroyed it didn't live to regret it for long). Still, his eye tended to slide down from his beloved reading material to that strange civilian who had been exploring Konoha for these past few days.

During all this wandering, her eyes were always warm and welcoming, as well as assessing. There was no judgement there, but there was something deeper that he was having the most difficulty to define. The closest he could come was to say that she was perhaps looking for something. But that didn't quite ring true. Her gaze was not searching enough – it flowed over everything, dismissing nothing as unimportant.

Her walks _seemed_ aimless. Her feet took her through every part of the village – from the hospital to the markets to the Hokage monument. She walked amongst civilians and shinobi alike, smiled at any who crossed her path, drinking in their presence. And yet, there was _something_ about her that told him that she was looking for something in particular – he just didn't know what it was.

And after three days, he was starting to suspect that _she_ didn't know either.

Whether she found what she was looking for or not, after the fourth day she moved out of the hotel near the Hokage Tower (it was commonly used by clients) and settled in a district that had been hit hard by the Sound Invasion. It was not yet fully repaired even now - because this wasn't one of the best parts of the village, not as rich as the more inner parts of the village, and not as prioritized as the main streets. Few shinobi lived here and the few who did, did not care enough about these people or buildings to waste their time and chakra helping their civilian neighbours out. Konoha had taken far larger losses than damaged buildings, after all.

Their Hokage had fallen and though Tsunade had both the name and the power to take his place with confidence, that strength would only go as far as the strength of the village did. Konoha could not afford weakness – a shinboi village never could – but now, these years after a costly victory were more important than most. So the Godaime worked them hard – missions by outside customers were _never_ refused and trivial missions on the inside took a back burner.

And so, in one of the worst parts of Konoha, the buildings remained in a less-than-perfect state. Usable, liveable, but only _just_. The people who lived there didn't really seem to care much – they went about their days, head lowered, eyes forward, ignoring anyone else.

And this was the place that his travelling companion had decided to call home.

* * *

Five days later he started to see what _she_ had seen in this neighbourhood. The _potential_, as well as the wounds that needed to be healed. The neighbourhood just needed a bit of help – a warm, helpful hand - and once more, Kagome seemed more than willing to provide it freely to everyone willing to give her a chance.

He watched as she carefully, gently made a place for herself in there. With her positive attitude and willingness to help she won over her new land-lady. Her warm smiles and genuine greetings to her neighbours were finally beginning to be returned. Softly, slowly, the people started to smile more frequently – that beaten down look disappeared from their eyes.

Starting with the young, black-haired woman more and more people began fixing up their homes and those of their neighbours – helping each other in their own areas of expertise.

Kakashi should have been surprised when the somewhat reclusive chuunin who lived on the third floor of one of these apartments actually joined in and helped with some of the more heavy lifting and precise cutting.

Seeing the bright, grateful thank you he received from Kagome – the one-eyed ninja really wasn't.

By the time he was cleared back for duty and left the village on another mission he couldn't help but wonder just what this place would look like by the time he returned.

A part of him believed it might yet be one of the best neighbourhoods of Konoha by then.

* * *

**A.N.** I'm a bit iffy about this chapter... I'm not sure what's wrong with it. It's very introspective, but I'm ok with that. It's just... meh, I don't know. Does this sound OOC or otherwise weird to you?


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